Draft-rigging.



No. 703,607'. Patented vJuly l, |902. H. c. Palese.

DRAFT RIGGING.

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UNITED STATESV PATENT OFFICE;

HERMAN C. PRIEBE, OF BRADFORD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANK .L REIOIIMANN,

DRAFT-RIGGING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 703,607, dated July 1, 1 902.

Application filed December 12,1901. Serial No. 85,632. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: l

Be it known that I, HERMAN C. PRIEBE, a citizen of the United States, -residing at Bradford, in the county of Stark and State of Illinois,have invented a new and useful Improvement in DraftfRiggings, of which the following is a specification.

My inventionrelates to an improved construction of draft-rigging for freight-cars.

My object is to providea draft-rigging of improved construction which will possess certain advantages over the draftriggings hitherto provided upon freight-cars in the matter of strength, durability, and other features, as hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings, Figure l is a broken sectional plan View taken on line l in Fig. 3

through the center and end sills'of a car; Fig.l

2, a cross-section on irregular 1ine'2in Fig. l; Fig. 3, a section on line 3 in Fig. l with a part broken away to display details of construction; Fig. 4, a broken elevation,and Fig. 5 a broken plan view of draft-plates forming part of the rigging construction.

AA are the longitudinally-extending center sills of a car-frame; B, one of the end sills; C, a dead-wood, and D the transom.

E E are draft-'plates which may extend the full length-of the car. The plates E are angular in cross-section, being formed with the face portions a., upper narrow spacing-Hanges b, and lower wide attaching-anges c. The drawings show the construction at one end of the car only but it is to be understood that the draft-rigging is the same at each end of the-car. The end sill B and dead-wood or buffer-block C are cut away at the center of their under sides, forming an opening or socket d for the draw-bar F, which may slide over the draw-bar carry-plate e, bolted against the under side of the dead-wood. The flanges b c are cutaway toward the ends of the draftplates, and the face portions a are rendered narrower to pass through the socket'ol.` The plates E extend along the inner sides of the center sills A, the free edges of the anges b resting against the faces of the sills and the ianges c resting against the under sides thereof. The draft-plates are held securely in place by means of horizontal bolts c and vertical bolts 0c', which extend through the sills. The reduced end portions a of the draft-plates extend through the end sill and dead-Wood at opposite sides of the socket d and are upset at the outer ends over the deadwood to aid in holding the dead-wood in place and aid thesaine in sustaining the draw-bar F. In the draft-plates are coincident sockets l f, which may be formed byV cutting or stamping the metal. The sockets extend from near the tops of the plates out through the bottoms of the latter.v Betweenthe'faces a and sills Aare'fillers G, of woodY or'other suitable Inaterial, cut away to receive the socket portions fof the 'draft-plates. .Secured to the inner end of the draw-bar by means of bolts :c2 is a stirrup-frame H, containing rigid partitions or cross-plates `H H2, securely held in place. The plates or blocks I-I" AH2 may extend at their opposite; edges into sockets gin the sides of the stirrup-frame and be Y further'held in place by the transverse bolts m3. They register nor` lnally withthe fiat" spaces 0.2 a2'between sockets f, as showmand exactly fill out the width of those spaces. Normally the inner end F of the draw-bar registers with the forward edges of the 'firstpair of companion sockets f, and the inner side-of`the1end of the stirrupbar H registers with the rear edges of the last pair of companion sockets f. Thus three pockets I II2 are formed in the stirrup-frame, as shown. In these `pockets are the short coiled springs K K K2, bearing at opposite ends against follower-plates L, L, L2, L3, L4, and L5, as shown. The-followerplates fit loosely at their upper and lower edges in the stirrup-'fra'me andv at their sides project into the sockets f, which at their edges forln shoulders or st ops .`r The construction, as will be seen, is such that the follower L ispressed againstthe forward edges of the first sockets f, the follower LY against the rear edges of the secondfsocketsf, the lfollower L2 against the forward edges of the third sockets f, the

follower Lagain-st4 the rear edges of the fourth sockets f, the follower L4 against the forward edges of the fifth sockets f, and the follower L5 against the rear edges of the last sockets f.

When the draw-bar is drawn in the outward direction, the parts II' H2 and end of the stirrup-bar bear against the followers IOO L L3 L5 and compress the springs K K' K2 simultaneously, the follower-plates L L2 L4 being held against forward movement from normal positions by their engagement with the forward edges of the sockets in which they rest. Then the draw-bar is pushed inward, the end F thereof and parts H' H2 bear against the follower-plates L L2 L4 and compress the springs K K K2 simultaneously, the follower-plates L L3 L5 being held against backward movement from normal position by the sockets which they engage. Secured by bolts against the under side of the draftplates are baseplates M, which close the lower ends of the sockets f and prevent the follower-plates from dropping out. At the transom D the draft-plates are provided with notches a3, which by fitting over and engaging the transom-bar materially strengthen the car structure.

The advantages of myimproved draft-rigging over the draft-riggings in common use are briefly the following: The draft-rigging is mounted between the center sills and not below them. This permits the sills, and consequently the floor of the car, to be lower by at least a foot than is usual in freight-cars as commonly constructed. The draft-plates are applied and the sockets f produced without notching or cutting away the center sills, and thus weakening them. lVhen the draftplates extend from end to end of the car, as shown, they greatly reinforce the center sills and also the dead woods or blocks at the ends of the car. The springs in practice may be permitted to compress about two inches, and as soon as the springs are exhausted the strain is taken up by the engagement of the follower-plates with the ends of the sockets. This relief of pressure against the springs prevents their breaking under the crushing strain, such breaking being frequent in the constructions hitherto commonly employed. As the resistance of all the springs is at once brought to bear against movement of the draw-bar in either direction, the travel of each draw-bar may be limited to about two inches at each end of the car, and this, it is found in practice, will contribute all the resilience necessary or desirable to prevent undue shock against the car timbers. It has been usual hitherto to permit the drawbars to travel, as a rule, about five inches at each end of the car, which in a long train makes a great difference in the initial movement of the cars or stoppage thereof or change of speed. The limitation upon the movement of the draw-bars which my invention effects greatly decreases the danger to trainmen bctween cars and also the danger to stock and breakable merchandise carried by the cars.

When the car is constructed with drafttimbers beneath the center sills or in the place of the center sills shown, my improved draftrigging may be secured thereto instead of directly to the sills, and while I prefer to construct myimprovements throughout as shown and described they may be variously modified in the matter of details without departing from the spirit of my invention as defined by the claims.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a draft-rigging for attachment between the center sills of a freight-car, comprising, in combination, draw-bars extended through openings in the front sills and deadwoods, flanged draft-plates secured to the inner sides of the center sills said draft-plates extending the full length of the car and having reduced ends passed through the openings in the front sills and dead-Woods to reinforce the latter, and yielding connections between the draw-bars and draft-plates.

2. In a draft-rigging, the combination with a draw-bar of a stirrup-frame thereon having a series of pockets formed by cross-plates having socket connection with the stirrup-frame, two follower-plates and a separating bufferspring between the said plates in each pocket, draft-plates secured to the inner sides of the centerl sills on opposite sides of the stirrupframe and having coincident sockets, registering with said pockets, into which the follower-plates extend at opposite sides,the sockets presenting stops to limit movement of the follower-plates, substantially as described.

3. In a draft-rigging, the combination of the draft-plates secured to the inner sides of the center sills and having sockets, the drawbar, stirrup-frame on the draw-bar, pockets in the stirrup-frame formed by cross-plates having socket connection with the stirrupframe, follower-plates in the pockets extending at opposite sides into said sockets, simultaneously-acting buffer-springs in the pocket between the follower-plates and operating normally to press the follower-plates against the ends of the pockets and sockets, the said sockets presenting shoulders which limit the movements of the follower-plates in each direction and relieve the pressure against the springs when compressed, substantially as described.

HERMAN C. PRIEBE. ln presence of EDMUND EWING, CYRUs BococK.

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